Wrench



P 1942 s. w. GOIRDON 2,294,548

WRENCH Filed March 6, 1941 ,7 Samuel Wardol.

l2 INVENTOR A TTORNE Y5 Patented Sept. 1, 1942 UNITED STTES PATENTOFFICE J WRENCH Samuel W. Gordon, Canal Fulton, Ohio ApplicationMarch 6,1941, Serial No. 381,934

2 Claims.

The invention relates to wrenches, and more especially to a grip-pingwrenchI designed for firmly gripping a cable, rod or similar article foreither holding it againstrotation 'or rotating the same as may bedesired.

The object of the improvement is to provide a wrench of the pivoted jawtype arranged to be quickly and easily adjusted to accommodate cables orrods of varying size, and adapted to firmly grip the cables or rods toprevent movement thereof relative to the wrench.

Another object is to provide a wrench of this type in which one oLf thejaws is pivotally attached to the operating handle, upon which is alsopivoted a locking arm for engagement with the other pivoted jaw.

The above together with other objects which will be apparent from aninspection of the accompanying drawing and the following description, orwhich will be later pointed out, may be attained by providing a pair ofgripping jaws pivotally connected together, one of said jaws beingpivotally connected to the operating handle; a locking arm beingpivotally mounted upon the operating handle and provided with acrosshead for engagement with a recess or notch in the free end portionof the other jaw; means being provided for adjusting the length of saidlocking arm, between the pivotal point and the crosshead thereof, inorder to accommodate cables and rods of varying size.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved wrench towhich the invention pertains, parts being broken away for the purpose ofillustration, the wrench being shown in the closed or gripping position;

Fig. 2, a plan view of the wrench with the parts thereof in the sameposition as shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3, a plan View of the wrench with the parts in the open orinoperative position.

Similar numerals refer to similar throughout the several views.

The wrench includes the gripping jaws Ill and II provided with thecooperating hinge knuckles I2 which receive the hinge pin I3 by means ofwhich the jaws are pivotally connected together.

parts Each jaw has a socket I4 in its inner face,

preferably squared as best shown in Fig. 1, within which is located agripping block I5 preferably provided in their opposed faces with thesubstantially half-round serrated recesses I5 which may be of the shapebest shown in Fig.

3 for the purpose of more tightly gripping a cable, rod or the like.

The lower jaw Iii is provided with a spaced pair of legs. I! which arepivotally connected to the bifurcated end portion I8 of the operating.handle I9 as by the pin 2%. An ear 2.1 isformed upon the swinging sideof the. upper jaw- II and provided in its free edge portion with arecess'orxnotch 2-2., This recess is adapted to be engaged by the arm2-3 having a crosshead 24 at its free end, said arm being pivotallyconnected to the operating handle.

For the purpose of adjustably and pivotally mounting the arm 23 upon theoperating handle, the nut 25 is located within the bifurcated portion IB of the handle and provided upon opposite sides with trunnions 25pivoted within the corresponding furcations of the bifurcated end I8 ofthe operating handle.

The lower end portion of the arm 23 is screw threaded as shown at 21 andadjustably mounted through the nut 25, a jamb nut 28 being locatedthereon 'for locking the arm in any adjusted position.

For the purpose of manipulating the jaws of the wrench to clamp themupon a cable or rod, a short handle 29 may be pivotally connected to thebifurcated lug 30, upon the jaw IE3, as by the pin 3 I.

In operating the improved wrench, the arm 23 is first adjusted to properposition to accommodate the cable, rod or the like to be gripped andsaid arm is then swung backward upon its pivot and the upper jaw I I isswung to the open position as illustrated in Fig. 3'.

The cable or rod to be gripped is then engaged by the recess I6 in thelower jaw and the upper jaw is swung downward into engagement with saidcable or rod, the arm 23 then being swung forward upon its pivot andinto engagement with the notch22 upon the ear 2| of the upper jaw, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2. For this purpose it may be necessary to swingthe operating handle upward upon the pivot 20 to permit the arm 23 toengage the notch 22.

By then pulling downward upon the operating handle, the same will againpivot upon the pin 20 and the arm 23 will pull the upper jaw II downwardwhile the lower jaw I0 is urged upward by the movement of the handle 29toward the handle I9, drawing the jaws tightly toward each other andfirmly gripping the cable or rod between the jaws, preventing anymovement of the cable or rod relative to the jaws of the wrench. It willbe seen that by the action of unwed the operating handle pivoting uponthe pin 20, the legs I! of the lower jaw and the ear 2| of the upper jawact as levers to positively draw the jaws toward each other.

As shown in Fig. 1, the pivotal point l3 of the jaws and pivotal point26 of the pivoted arm 23 are normally located above the pivotal center20 of the leg I! and operating handle I9.

When the handles 29 and I9 are moved toward each other, as abovedescribed, the points [3 and 26 will pass down over the pivotal center20, and the jaws l0 and II will be looked upon the cable.

The handle 29 may then be released, permitting it to swing downward uponits pivot 3|, to a position substantially parallel to the cable or rod,and the cable or rod is held tightly clamped between the jaws by acontinued pull upon the operating handle I9.

I claim:

1. A wrench including a pair of gripping jaws pivotally connectedtogether at one side, a rigid leg fixed to the opposite side of one jaw,an operating handle pivotally connected to the end portion of said leg,a second handle pivotally connected to said one jaw near the pivotalpoint of the jaws and arranged to swing downward upon its pivot when notin use, a notched ear upon the other jaw on the side opposite to thepivotal point of the jaws and an arm pivotally mounted upon theoperating handle and having a crosshead at its free end for engagementwith said notched ear, the pivotal points of the jaws and the pivotedarm being located above the pivotal center of the operating handle andleg and arranged to be thrown over center to lock the jaws upon a cableor the like when the two handles are moved toward each other.

2. A wrench including a pair of gripping jaws pivotally connectedtogether at one side, a rigid leg fixed to the opposite side of one jaw,an operating handle pivotally connected to the end portion of said leg,a second handle pivotally connected to said one jaw near the pivotalpoint of the jaws the second handle being pivoted upon an axis locatedin a plane at right angles to a plane passing through the axes of thepivots of the jaws and operating handle, a notched ear upon the otherjaw on the side opposite to the pivotal point of the jaws and an armpivotal- 1y mounted upon the operating handle and having a crosshead atits free end for engagement with said notched ear, the pivotal points ofthe jaws and the pivoted arm being located above the pivotal center ofthe operating handle and leg and arranged to be thrown over center tolock the jaws upon a cable or the like when the two handles are movedtoward each other.

SAMUEL W. GORDON.

